Pointing control for antenna system with electronic scannning and digital beam forming
First Claim
1. An antenna system with electronic scanning and digital beam forming, including a plurality of elementary antennas configured into an array, wherein there is a reception channel associated with each elementary antenna or sub-array of elementary antennas, said reception channel comprising:
- an active reception module receiving a signal from said elementary antenna or of sub-array elementary antennas;
an analog/digital converter receiving, at input, an analog signal from the active reception module, and outputting a corresponding digitized signal to a beam forming computer, said analog/digital converter comprising an analog signal input, a digitized signal output, and a clock signal input receiving a clock signal that controls the instant of sampling of the conversion; and
a digitally programmable delay generator with a programming input that receives a digital control word from a pointing computer, said word defining a time delay to be produced, a triggering input that receives said clock signal controlling the instant of sampling of the conversion of said analog/digital converter, and a signal output connected to said clock signal input of said analog/digital converter.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This antenna system has a plurality of elementary antennas configured into an array, wherein there is a reception (or transmission) channel associated with each antenna or sub-array of antennas, said reception channel having, in series:
an active reception module,
delay means capable of selectively introducing a pure delay of propagation of the signal picked up by the elementary antenna so as to produce a gradation of delays for the different respective elementary antennas, said gradation of delays enabling the definition of a desired pointing in the direction of the wave to be received with respect to the orientation proper to the array;
and an analog/digital converter receiving, at input, the analog signal received, to deliver, at output, a corresponding digitized signal to a beam forming computer. The delay means are digital means, positioned at output of the analog/digital converter and typically comprise a digitally programmable delay generator comprising a programming input that receives a digital control word, defining the delay to be produced, from a pointing computer, a triggering input that receives pulses digitally representing the signal to be delayed and a signal output deliverying the delayed signal pulses.
-
Citations
4 Claims
-
1. An antenna system with electronic scanning and digital beam forming, including a plurality of elementary antennas configured into an array, wherein there is a reception channel associated with each elementary antenna or sub-array of elementary antennas, said reception channel comprising:
-
an active reception module receiving a signal from said elementary antenna or of sub-array elementary antennas; an analog/digital converter receiving, at input, an analog signal from the active reception module, and outputting a corresponding digitized signal to a beam forming computer, said analog/digital converter comprising an analog signal input, a digitized signal output, and a clock signal input receiving a clock signal that controls the instant of sampling of the conversion; and a digitally programmable delay generator with a programming input that receives a digital control word from a pointing computer, said word defining a time delay to be produced, a triggering input that receives said clock signal controlling the instant of sampling of the conversion of said analog/digital converter, and a signal output connected to said clock signal input of said analog/digital converter. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. An antenna system with electronic scanning and digital beam forming, including a plurality of elementary antennas configured into an array, wherein there is a transmission channel associated with each elementary antenna or sub-array of elementary antennas, said transmission channel comprising:
-
a digital/analog converter receiving, at input, from a beam forming computer, a digital signal to be transmitted and delivering, at output, a corresponding analog signal comprising a digital input, an analog signal output, and a clock signal input receiving a clock signal that controls the instant of sampling of the conversion; an active transmission module receiving the analog signal delivered by said digital/analog converter and delivering a transmitted signal to said elementary antenna or sub-array of elementary antennas; and a digitally programmable delay generator with a programming input that receives a digital control word from a pointing computer, said word defining a time delay to be produced, a triggering input that receives said clock signal controlling the instant of sampling of the conversion of said digital/analog converter, and a signal output connected to said clock signal input of said digital/analog converter. - View Dependent Claims (4)
-
Specification